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Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Thanks to Netgalley and Coscom Entertainment for giving me this book to review.

Elvins do not fall in love, they marry the land, so when
Kaliel and Krishani start getting feeling for each other they have to hide them
or be judged by everyone. At the same time they both have to deal with their
own destinies and how they affect all of Avristar.

While this has all the elements I love in a fantasy book I
just could not connect with it. As you go straight into the story I felt a bit
lost and confused throughout half the book.

We only got to know Kaliel and Krishani in terms of their
romance and destiny but not much else about them. I also did not like the
insta-love in this book as they only met once yet pined after each other for
over a year.

However I did like how descriptive and imaginative this
book this is a I actually felt like I was in Avristar while reading this book
and I could see how it look and felt like.

Wednesday, 24 October 2012

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for giving me a copy of this book to review.

Jazz's life has reached rock bottom, she has no job, her friend and partner has been convicted of a crime he did not commit. Until James Borden offers her a job, for a shadowy organisation called the Cross Society, which could be an offer that is too good to be true.

I have been a fan of Morganville vampires for ages so I
was interested in what Caine did in Devil’s Bargain. It is a really good book with
romance, psychics and action. The pace of this book is good because it is slow
enough that you can understand everything but not so fast that it gets boring.

Similar to Morganville, Caine strength in this book is
her characters. Jazz is a kick-ass person who is head strong and stubborn but
also does not mind running into danger to save someone. However I did find it a
bit hard to connect to Jazz mostly because we are in very different times of
our lives as she is mid-thirties and I am early 20s. The other characters in
this book are also awesome including James the mysterious lawyer and deliver of
the red letters and Lucia who is Jazz’s calm and sophisticated new partner.

The romance in this book is good but a bit obvious,
because as soon as the love interest enters, it was clear that is what he what
is meant to be in this book. That being said it was enjoyable reading about the
romantic tension between the two of them.

If I have one
criticism is that there is not enough paranormal romance in this book. There
are a lot of unanswered questions in this book and I can wait to read the next
book. I would recommend this book to anyone who like Rachel Caine’s books

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

It has been a year since the challenge and Sonea has
earned the respect of her fellow novices, but is still being held captive by
the High Lord, but as she learns more about Akkarin, she has to figure out if
he is telling the truth or manipulating her. Meanwhile Dannyl and Tayend are
happy together and have a mission to stop a group of rogue magicians, and Cery
is now a Thief and is tracking down some serial killers.

Trudi Canavan is a fantastic author and this is my
favourite series because of the story, how she writes the characters, but
mostly it has a certain spark. This book has action, romance and suspense.

I love how you get so involved in the character’s lives
and get worried when they are in danger. I also like how much Sonea has grown
as a character throughout the series and how she puts others before herself
even those she does not like.

I really like how action packed the book gets at the end
and how involved I got and how understandable the motives of the baddies are
(even though I don’t agree with them).

SPOILER

However my favourite character is Akkarin because who
knew a author could change how much I felt about a character in just one book!
I went from hating him to pitying him to finally crying at the end about him,
it is amazing how Canavan does it.

My one criticism of this book is the ending, Why Trudi
why kill him off when they both could of survived if they did ONE thing differently!
I know good triumphed over evil but I like my endings happy (sorry rant over)

SPOILER END

I would recommend this trilogy to everyone especially
whose who likes fantasy whether YA or not similar to Maria V Snyder or Kristin
Cashore.

The Novice starts a few months after The Magicians Guild.
Sonea is now a novice at the Guild but faces a tough time from the other
novices who are distrustful because she is a girl from the slums. Dannyl is now
ambassador to Elyne and is on a mission to rediscover ancient magic. At the same time Sonea, Rothen and Administrator
Lorlen have to find a way of dealing with and stopping the High Lord Akkarin
from using his black magic.

As I said in my review of The Magicians Guild, I am a big
fan of the Black Magician Trilogy, so this might not be an unbiased review.
This book has great character development and story line and leaves you wanting
to finish the series right then and there.

Sonea grows as a character in this book but at the same
time is more vulnerable as she is out of her element and does not fit in at the
Guild as much as the slums. I also like how we learn about Dannyl and also
different parts of this world.

I love how Trudi Canavan can make us empathise with all
of the characters and how everything is not black and white, similarly the
suspected villain is very mysterious and you are unsure of his motives, and
whether what he is doing is evil or not..

The Novice is an
excellent book and if you are a fan of fantasy books then you should read this
series.

In the city of Imardin every year Magicians drive the Thieves,
beggars and the poor out of the city without any trouble, until one year a
young woman called Sonea is able to break through their magical barrier. Now,
the hunt is on, as the magicians to find her before she destroys the city and
herself. Meanwhile, Sonea is trying to hide from them and the bounty on her
head by taking refuge with the Thieves.

The Magicians Guild, the first book in the Black Magician
trilogy, is my favourite series ever so I may not be as unbiased as I wish.
This book does start a bit slow but has a brilliant mix of humour, action and
suspense, and in my opinion is a brilliant story with a certain spark, which I
have seen in very few books.

Canavan is brilliant at writing characters, because, even
though there are different points of view, they all have their own unique
voices. Sonea is a character whom I really admire because, even though she has
not had the best upbringing, she is still a kind character, who is brave and
very loyal to those she cares about.

The other main characters are really likeable as well,
especially Cery who is really devoted to Sonea and would do anything to protect
her and Rothen who is a kind fatherly character. The villain in this book has
really understandable motives, and believes that what he is doing is the right
thing, for both himself and the Magicians Guild

This is a brilliant fantasy book and whilst it is a bit
slow at the start, if you stick with it, it gets MUCH better. I would recommend
this book to everyone but especially those who like Maria V Snyder and Tamora
Pierce.

The Dark Witch has been defeated and Senna is engaged to
the man she loves, everything should be perfect, but it is not. Haven is not
the paradise she thought it would be, Tarten is still suffering from the
witches curse and there is a new threat that could destroy everything Senna
holds dear.

Witch Born is a brilliant sequel which has lots of twists
and turns and is much more unpredictable than Witch Song. Also this book is more
action-packed and involves additional characters than the first book.

Senna has really grown up since the Witch Song but she is
still finding out who she wants to be in life, which causes tension between her
and those who care about her. I really like Joshen in this book as he is
everything a love interest in a light YA fantasy and while they may be away
from each other more in this book you can still tell they love each other very
much.

I really enjoyed this
book and I cannot wait to see what else Amber Argyle is going to write. I would
recommend this series to people who like Shannon Hale and Gail Carson Levine.

Brusenna has always been hidden away by her mother, but
when she and the rest of the haven witches are taken captive by the dark witch
Espen, Brusenna is the last witch left, so with the help of her guardian Joshen
and her dog Bruke, she must find a way to do what no other witch has done
before and defeat the dark witch.

Witch Song is a really brilliant and charming story with
true love, adventure and magic it is a good story for YA fantasy readers. The
story was non-stop and really captivating and action packed.

I love Senna’s growth in this book but it does not change
her too much from the shy insecure girl from the beginning, I admire how she
does admit her mistakes and acts on them and how she reacts maybe not in the
right way but a realistic one. Also Joshen is also a great character as he is
brave, strong and totally loyal to Senna no matter what.

Also the secondary characters are well rounded from
Senna’s mother Sacra to the Captain Parknel. The romance is so sweet and gentle
but is also very innocent.

I would recommend
this book to people who like light but enchanting YA fantasy.

Monday, 22 October 2012

Fire Study starts off with Yelena having learnt that she
is a Soulfinder, which causes distrust, and fear from the council, Cahil has
released Ferde and a new enemy called the Fire Warper is after Yelena.

Although this is still a brilliant story and series, it
did not flow as easily as the other two books, but saying that it is still a
very good plot and you want to find out what happens next to Yelena and her
friends.

Yelena regresses back into her old self a bit in this
book, running and hiding instead of taking charge, however it did seem that
everyone was putting too much pressure on her as she is still a young woman.
However this did make her stronger by the end of the book.

Loads of my favourite characters from both Ixia and Sitia
are back in this book, but as we see them through Yelena’s eyes, and because she
is finding it hard to trust people in some parts of the book, sometimes the
characters act differently that you think they should, but most of the time
they are the character you know and love.

Yelena and Valek’s relationship in this novel faces more
trouble as they are both struggling to understand each other, especially when
it comes to Yelena’s powers, but in the end they realise that while that don’t
need each other that want each other.
The villain was a bit obvious and you cannot understand how one person
in particular did not see it all along, but overall a good ending to the
series.

I would recommend this book to those like fantasy
especially Graceling or the Black Magician trilogy.

Magic study starts a few weeks after the events of Poison
Study, in that time Yelena has gone to Sitia to escape the death warrant in
Ixia, and also to learn magic and to find her long lost family. But not
everything is plain sailing, as her brother is hostile towards her, and many of
the people at the Magician’s Keep think she is a spy, including the First
Magician, and on top of all that, there is a serial killer torturing and
killing girls, and it looks like Yelena may be next.

This is a brilliant sequel to Poison Study, and Ms Snyder
is really good with the pacing of the books. It has everything you want in a
fantasy book, with action, romance, magic and a fight between good and evil.

Yelena has grown as a character, as at the beginning of
Poison Study, she was all about self-preservation, and running away. In this
book, she has grown more confident, and helps others at risk to herself.

The romance between Yelena and Valek is a bit different
from the last book, because for most of the book their relationship is
long-distance, although they still have a very strong relationship, and you
will end up rooting for them.

Even though there are still some of my favourite
characters from Poison Study appearing in this book, such as Commander Ambrose,
Valek, Ari and Janco, we are also introduced to some new people, such as Moon
Man, Yelena’s guide, and Cahil, Yelena’s frenemy. But my favourite new
character is Kiki, Yelena’s horse (You will understand when you read the book)

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys
well-written fantasy novels, whether Young Adult or not.

After being arrested for murdering a general’s son,
Yelena is spared the noose by becoming Commander Ambrose’s food taster, but
whilst this is a dangerous enough job, she also has to avoid General Brazell’s
men, escape assassination attempts on her life, survive the poison which the
Commander’s Advisor, Valek, has given her to prevent her from escaping. All the
while she discovers that she is developing magical abilities which are
forbidden in Ixia.

This is a brilliant fantasy novel set in a world that is
different from most others in this genre. The pacing of this book is really
good and makes you want to stay up all night just to find out what happens
next.

Yelena is a really interesting character who grows in
confidence throughout the book and as you learn more about her past the more
you realise how strong a person she is. Valek is also a really fascinating character
who you would not want to get on the wrong side of, and whilst he is cunning
and intelligent he is also very loyal.

Ari and Janco’s character’s as they add humour to the
book and they also help Yelena out of her shell and become a bit surer of
herself.

The romance is perfect in this book as it was not obvious
from the beginning if there was going to be any, and if so with whom, but as
the story went on it was there just enough to keep you rooting for them but not
too much to overtake the story.

This is an excellent book which is perfect if you are
looking to read a fantasy book that is in-between a YA and an adult novel. I
would recommend this book to anybody who likes Trudi Canavan or Kristin
Cashore.

The Magician’s Apprentice is about Tessia, the local
healer’s daughter, who unknowingly uses magic after fending of the advances of
a visiting Sachakan mage, she becomes an apprentice to the magician Lord Dakon
alongside fellow apprentice Jayan. However she would soon learn that with her
magical gifts comes with responsibilities and not all is peaceful as it seems
between Sachakan and Kyralia.

This prequel, set a few centuries before the black magician
trilogy, has the features that Trudi Canavan is good at - action, romance,
humour and lots of magic. It is really interesting to see how the events of
this book affected this world centuries down the line in the black magician’s
and the traitor spy trilogies, I especially like finding out how the traitors
began and how the war affected relations between the nations for years to come.

The characters in this book are all really realistic and
you can understand everyone’s motives, while each character is still very
different from the people in Canavan’s other series. However while I really
liked Tessia, Jayan and Dakon perspectives, I could not get into Hanara’s or
Stara’s however it was interesting to hear the story from the other sides view
point.

I also like how Canavan did not romanticise what war is
like and the hardships of it and how even the “good guys” can justify doing bad
things as a means to an end and everyone believes they are they doing what they
think is right.

This is a brilliant prequel and would recommend this book
to anyone likes Trudi Canavan’s work especially her Black Magician trilogy.

The False Prince is about a 14 year old boy called Sage
who is taken, along with 3 other boys who look alike, by a noble called Connor,
who will choose one of them to impersonate the king’s long lost son and make
him a puppet prince.

I really liked this book as it is a nice light read which
will appeal to everyone young and old, and while the book is a bit predictable,
it is not as bad as other books in this genre. Sage is a really likeable and
relatable teenage boy and while at first he comes across as arrogant and
annoying he is actually nice and selfless.

I enjoyed the way Nielsen wrote the relationship between
the boys and how they became friends through shared experiences but at the same
time how they were rivals as they know that only one will be chosen and the
others will die.

This is a really good book which reminded me a bit of the
Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, but I preferred this one as I could relate more
to the characters. I would recommend this book to people who like the Belgariad
or Eragon.

This is the fourth and final throne of glass novella in
which Sam and Celaena are living together and trying to get enough money to
leave Rifthold for good by doing one last but dangerous assignment.

This novella is heart breaking but it is nice to know how
Celaena ends up where she is at the beginning of throne of glass. Celaena does
make a lot of mistakes in this book but she is still a really interesting
character which I have liked getting to know.

I love the relationship between Celaena and Sam but I’m
annoyed about how this story line ends, but I can see why it needs to happen
this way for Celaena story to progress.

I love how Maas makes
you really care about the character even in a story as short as this and I am
counting down the days until Throne of Glass comes out and I hope it is as good
as the novellas suggest it will be.

This is the second throne of glass novella in which
Celaena, as punishment for her actions in the Pirate Lord, has to train with
the Silent Assassins for a month and get a letter of approval from the master
or be exiled.

I like this novella a bit more than the last one as it is
slower than the first one and focuses more on the characters and the plot.
Celaena is a little less sure of herself in this book after the consequences of
the pirate lord, but she is still a really interesting character who is
different from other main characters in this genre.

This novella focuses more on the characters and how
Celaena interacts with them as there are more people in this story. I
especially like the master, who is all Yoda like and not what you would expect
from a leader of assassins.

After this I really cannot wait to get my hands on the Throne of Glass as Maas seems to be a brilliant author, I cannot wait to see
what she does with a full length novel. I would recommend to people who like
Maria V Snyder and Trudi Canavan.

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord is a prequel novella to
Throne of Glass which comes out August 2012. This novella is about a 16 year
old assassin called Celaena and her fellow assassin Sam as they go to the
Pirate Lord’s home to work out a deal with him.

This is an enjoyable novella which deals with right and
wrong and is really fast paced and action packed. Maas does a really good job
getting us to understand and relate to the characters, which is quite an
achievement for a story this short. There is a slight hit of romance in this
book but it is much understated which looks promising for her main novel.

Celaena is a bit of a conflicting character because on
one side she is good looking, knows it and uses it as a weapon and is also
arrogant, but on the other side wants to be good and moral and is very naïve
about who she assassinates and how that business is run.

Sarah J Maas does a brilliant job with the Assassin and
the Pirate Lord and I cannot wait to read the next 3 novellas and throne of
glass. I would recommend this to people who like young adult fantasy books.

Bleeding Hearts starts a few months after Out for Blood,
in which the blood moon is fast approaching, Lucy is feeling isolated and
abandoned by the Drakes and Lucy’s cousin Christabel is coming to town

I really liked finding out more about the Hel-Blar and
how there society works. I also liked how Lucy is back as a main character and
how the past two books has affected as a person.

My favourite character in this book is Connor as I
totally get his sense of humour and we like similar stuff as him, as in I get
the Firefly and Star Wars references and I read fantasy books because the good
guys always win like him.

However I did not connect with Christabel as while we
both like reading, I felt all of her characteristics were not realist and were
only there to create obstacles. I also felt no spark between Connor and
Christabel as it did not seem they would like each other that way in real life
and this was disappointing as this was the relationship I was looking forward
to, however Nicholas and Lucy’s relationship made up for it.

This book felt a bit like a middle book and end on a
cliff-hanger which will make you itch to pick up Blood Moon straight away. I
would recommend this book to all who liked the rest of Harvey’s books.

Bleeding Hearts starts a few months after Out for Blood,
in which the blood moon is fast approaching, Lucy is feeling isolated and
abandoned by the Drakes and Lucy’s cousin Christabel is coming to town

I really liked finding out more about the Hel-Blar and
how there society works. I also liked how Lucy is back as a main character and
how the past two books has affected as a person.

My favourite character in this book is Connor as I
totally get his sense of humour and we like similar stuff as him, as in I get
the Firefly and Star Wars references and I read fantasy books because the good
guys always win like him.

However I did not connect with Christabel as while we
both like reading, I felt all of her characteristics were not realist and were
only there to create obstacles. I also felt no spark between Connor and
Christabel as it did not seem they would like each other that way in real life
and this was disappointing as this was the relationship I was looking forward
to, however Nicholas and Lucy’s relationship made up for it.

This book felt a bit like a middle book and end on a
cliff-hanger which will make you itch to pick up Blood Moon straight away. I
would recommend this book to all who liked the rest of Harvey’s books.

A Killer First Date is set between Out for Blood and
Bleeding Hearts, where Nicholas and Lucy have finally got round to having their
first date at Lucy’s school carnival with Quinn and Hunter but with the Drakes nothing
stays calm and simple.

This is told from the POV of both Lucy and Hunter and it
has the mixture of action, romance and humour of all Harvey’s novels but for
69p it is a bargain.

What I really like about this novella is how Nicholas and
Lucy’s relationship has evolved since My Love Lies Bleeding and how they act
together now they have accepted their feelings for each other.

I really like this novella and would recommend this to
anyone who has read the first three books in the Drake Chronicles.

Corsets and Crossbows is novella is about Rosalind who a
young woman in the 19th century who is writing to a friend about
trying to uncover a plot about someone trying to kill the head of the London
Helios-Ra. I can’t tell you much more about the story line as it would be giving
it away.

Rosalind Wild (ancestor of Hunter) is really ahead of her
time as she wants to do what the men do in Helios-Ra and be accepted for it but
instead she is not told all the facts about vampires and is excluded (and other
women) from helping in hunting vampires.

I would recommend
this novella to people who like the Drake chronicles as although I did miss the
Drakes it still had the action, humour and romance and for 69p it is a
brilliant price.

Out for Blood is set a week after Blood feud where Helena
is about to be crowned as queen, more Hel-Blar are attacking Violet hill and it
is the start of a new year for the students at the Helios-Ra academy.

Out for Blood (like all of Alyxandra Harvey’s books so
far) has a good mix of Humour action and romance. This book is like a lot of YA
paranormal romance books, where it is set in a boarding school and where a
vampire and a vampire hunter have a star-crossed romance, but Harvey writes
this book brilliantly so I don’t mind if it is not as unique as her other Drake
books.

I really understand and like hunter and how she always
does what is right no matter how she is pressured not to and also how she acts
when she is fighting want she should do and what she wants to do, which I think
is very realistic. The romance in this book is good but I did not feel that
Hunter and Quinn had as much of a spark as Lucy and Nick or Logan and Isabeau
but I did like the start-crossed nature of their romance.

This book seems to have more supporting characters than
the other books with Hunter’s friends and teachers at the academy, and while I
like the Drakes it was nice to get to know different characters such as Chloe
and Spencer.

I would recommend this book to those who like the rest of
the Drake chronicles.

Blood Feud starts a week after the events of My Love Lies
Bleeding where Helena has become the queen, Montmarte is still after the crown
and Solange and the Drakes are holding negotiations with the Helios-Ra and the
Hounds.

This book is really good and has the combination of
action, humour and romance that I love from Harvey’s books. This book is all
about discovering about the characters discovering about themselves and like I
still prefer the first book it did still have that fairy tale feel about it.

This book is about the second youngest Drake brother
Logan and how everyone than he is more than just the drake brother who dresses
fancy. It is also about the Hound handmaiden Isabeau who after living through
the events of the French revolution and then being turned into a vampire, has
to decide what is more important to her love or her revenge.

I really like the flash backs to Isabeau’s life in Paris
during the French revolution and how desperate and scared she was and yet how
she survived through creating a wall around her heart, and then later how Logan
was able to break through it.

I would recommend this book to people who liked My Love
Lies Bleeding and also those who like a fairy tale edge to their paranormal
romances.

Solange Drake is soon going to become a vampire on her 16th
birthday; this causes problems as she has been prophesied to become the next
queen. With help from her best friend Lucy her Brother Nick and her potential
enemy Kieran Black, they have to help fight against those who want to either
harm or use her.

I really love this book as it has a great mix of romance,
humour, action and while it is a light and fluffy read, it is a perfect holiday
book or if you want to feel like you did as a child listening to a fairy tale.

It is told from the points of view of both Solange and
Lucy, but while this can sometimes cause confusion, Solange and Lucy are
totally different characters and tell their story differently. While both girls
are strong and loyal they do it in totally different ways, with Solange being
quiet and introvert, while Lucy is louder and would do anything to defend those
she loves (especially breaking people’s noses).

The Drake brothers are
amazing and you feel they all have a different personality and you can
distinguish between them. I especially like Nick, who does not love a bad boy
with a heart of gold, and Connor, but that because we are both geeks. What I really
like about this series so far is that there is not a love triangle, which it
seems almost every other YA paranormal book has, so thank you Harvey.

SPOILER

I only noticed this after
reading it a few times but I think Alyxandra Harvey has been influenced by Snow
White with this book because Solange attracts not birds and wildlife creatures
but blood thirsty vampires, she has seven brothers and finally the “huntsman” Kieran
gives a deer heart to the evil queen. I am not sure if it was intentional but
it is a nice twist on the traditional fairy tale.

SPOILER END

I would recommend this book
to anyone who likes light YA paranormal books, or just books which leave you
feeling that all is right in the world.

The Golden Lily starts of a few weeks after the events of
Bloodlines with Sonya, Demitri and Adrian are experimenting with spirit,
Sydney’s teacher Ms Terwilliger is trying to convince her to learn magic and
Sydney is summoned to meet the alchemists. This book is more action packed than
Bloodlines with people attacking Sonya and Sydney realising how vulnerable she
really is.

Sydney is more conflicted in this book as she has grown
close to people she has been taught to hate and fear and how to go about
protecting them without going against her beliefs.

I love how Mead writes her romance in this series and how
you route for them to be together, yet you don’t know how the situations will
allow them too.

I like how even more characters are back from the VA
series and how this changes the dynamic of the group. However I did feel that
Jill in this book is not as much of a main character in this one, but it could
be that there are more characters in this one.

Even though the plot was a bit predictable I really love
this series and would recommend it to fans of the Vampire Academy series

Bloodlines is a spin-off series of the vampire academy
series in which the alchemist Sydney has to look after Jill because she is
being hunted by assassins trying to stop Lissa staying Queen. Also girls are
being murdered and there tattoo which have unique powers.

I really like Sydney’s character and while both rose and Sydney
are both protective and loyal, Sydney likes to think before acting and enjoys
learning new things which I can really relate to.

I’m really glad some of our favourite characters return
such as Jill and Eddie but it was also good to meet new ones like Keith and
Trey. However was I am really happy about is that Adrian is back, although I
always thought Rose should be with Demitri, I really hope Adrian his happily
ever after.

I also like how the romance in this series is slower and
more realistic than most YA paranormal romances, and while there was not much
romance in this book there is a lot of potential.

Although it is a bit
slower than the vampire academy series it was brilliant and kept on making you
guess what was going on and who the bad guys are. I would recommend Bloodlines
to anyone who likes or loves the Vampire Academy series

Friday, 19 October 2012

City of Lost Souls starts of 2 weeks after Jace and
Sebastian have disappeared. The clave de-prioritise the search of them but
clary and the rest of the gang don’t want to give up and will even break the
law to do it.

This book is much more captivating than City of Fallen
Angels as you don’t want to put it down and not find out what happens next.
Although I did find it annoying that everyone has to be in a relationship and
that no one could be happy and single.

I really connected with Clary in this book as both her
and reader don’t know what is going on and who to trust while she tries to find
out Sebastian’s plans, and even though Clary did make some mistakes she own up
to them in the end. I could not work out Sebastian and what he was doing and I
sometimes doubted whether he was evil or not. Jace is a really good baddy but I
am glad we got to see a bit of normal Jace as well.

While Clary is finding out Sebastian’s plans Simon,
Isabelle Magnus and the rest are trying to find a weapon that could kill Sebastian,
I felt that this bit was more about the characters and their emotions than any
action especially compared to Clary’s parts of the book but in City of Heavenly
Fire there will probably be enough action to make up for this.

Overall this is a very good book but it is still not as
up to the same level as the first 3 as they has the right balance between
humour, romance, emotion and action. I would recommend to anyone who likes or
loves the immortal instruments and infernal devices series.

Monday, 15 October 2012

City of Fallen Angels starts 6 weeks after City of Glass,
Clary is training to be a shadow hunter, Alec and Magnus are on holiday and
Luke and Jocelyn are about to get married. But not everything is happily ever
after Shadow hunters are being murdered and people are targeting Simon but no
one knows why.

While I really like this book I did not love it mostly it
is because it is a bit slower than the first 3 which had action all the way
through them, while City of Fallen Angels not much happen until the last
quarter.

However the characters are still a strong point in this
book especially Simon who is much more of a main character in this book. He is
coming to terms with having the mark of Cain and being a daylighter, while
dating both Maia and Isabelle and does not know how to tell them about each
other. Simon has also been offered a deal by the head of the New York coven
Camille but does not know whether to trust her or not plus there is a new
member of his band called Kyle but is he all that he seems.

Jace and Clary just cannot catch a break, while this
should be their HEA but things are just not going their way. Jace is suffering
nightmares about hurting Clary and cannot deal with his feeling about
Valentine. But instead of talking to Clary he distances himself from her,
making her think he does not love her.

Overall this is a very go read and while it is a bit slow
it is worth it to see all the characters we love again. I do love how they have
intermingled the infernal devices series into this one while giving to much
away about what happens init. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes
the first 3 of the mortal instruments series.

Friday, 12 October 2012

Endure started right after Entice where Zara and friends
are trying to stop Frank and his pixies from destroying Bedford and the rest of
the world.

The book is REALLY action packed and nonstop full of
suspense and emotion, and wraps up the series brilliantly. It is amazing to see
the characters change and grow throughout the books, especially Zara who in the
first book said she would not be violent even to those who would hurt her, to
in this book her defending her loved ones no matter what. Also she finally
accepts her who she is and is comfortable in her own skin.

SPOILER

The one annoying thing about this book (and I know most
of you will disagree) is that she chooses Astley, throughout the series it’s
been all about Nick and Zara, whether accepting their star-crossed romance or
Zara in Entice willing to do anything to rescue Nick from Valhalla, and then in
this book them just being ok being friends. It just did not seem realist as I thought
she was destined to be with Nick and best friends with Astley, as I only got
the friend vibe between Zara and Astley throughout the first three books and
the romance between them felt forced and unnatural.

SPOILER END

It is full of twists and turns and keeps on making you
guess who the good guys are and who are not. Plus I love the secondary
characters especially Issie who is so cute and I just want to give her a hug
and Betty who is the coolest grandmother ever.

Endure is a fantastic book and would recommend the book
to people who have read the first three books and the series to anyone who
likes YA paranormal romance.

Entice starts off right after Captivate where Zara’s
friends are still struggling to accept that she is a good pixie and Zara is
determined to rescue Nick from Valhalla.

This is basically about Zara learning about Valhalla and Norse
mythology to find a way to rescue Nick both for her and as the defender of
Bedford. At the same time Zara worries whether Nick will even accept her as a
pixie. Also Frank and his evil pixies are terrorising the town and are
kidnapping boys for their needs, and Zara plus friends have to help protect
everyone.

One down side is the lack of Nick in this book although
he does influence everything in this book. There are plenty of plot twists and
turns and you do not know what will happen next.

What I love about this series is the relationships
between the characters, especially Betty and Zara relationship, and how Betty
overcomes her resentment of pixies because of Zara. I also like the friendship
between Astley and Zara and how they are both there for each other when they
need help.

Even though I love this book it is a bit of a filler
between Captivate and Endure. However it is still a very enticing read and I
would recommend for those who have the rest of the series of if you like YA
paranormal books.

Captivate starts a while after Need with Zara’s father
being trapped in the house with his pixies and the friends are stopping other
pixies which are arriving more often.

In the first half of the book Nick and Zara are in love,
Issie is jealous of Devyn’s friendship with a girl called Cassidy. Also Zara,
after rescuing a pixie called Astley, has an internal debate about whether all
pixies are evil. I love the addition of Norse mythology as I did not know much
about it and I found it fascinating.

The second half of the book is the saddest part in the
entire series and I won’t spoil it for those who have not read it, but Zara has
an important decision which could affect her life forever.

This is a captivating book with many twists and turns and
I could not guess at the ending. I would
recommend it to people who have read Need and those who like YA paranormal
romances.

Need is about a girl called Zara White who after her
step-dad’s death is sent to Maine to see whether living with her grandmother
will help with her depression. However there is a sinister man seems to be
following her around and may be linked to her step-father’s death.

Need is an interesting YA paranormal book which is full
of suspense, romance and action, in a world filled with weres (were-tigers,
werewolves) and pixies. But what I really love about this book are the characters,
the four friends Zara, Nick, Issie and Devyn work really well together and have a good chemistry. Also the romance is a part
of the story line but does not take it over like some YA paranormal books.

The baddies are really creepy and I would not want to
meet them in a dark alley. But they are really fascinating and it is easy to
understand and empathise with the main baddy. There is a lot of twists in the
book and I could not guess what would happen next.

Need is a brilliant series and you really NEED to read
this, I would recommend this to anyone who likes YA paranormal romance with a
twist.

Seraphina is a YA fantasy book about a girl who is caught
in the middle of an uneasy peace between the dragons and her kingdom Goredd
after the murder of one of the princes, which gets worse with the dragons
general about to arrive. Also in the mist of all this Seraphina has a secret
which she has to hide or it could be deadly to her.

Seraphina is a really interesting book by Rachel Hartman
which combines mystery, romance and action and also involves dragons which I
love to read about although these dragons did have a bit of a twist as these
dragons remind me of Vulcans from Star Trek.

I really like the action and mystery of this book as we
the reader try to figure out who might have killed Prince Rufus and if there is
an assassination attempt on Ardmagar Comonot, the dragons leader and general.
However the romance in this book did not have the chemistry that makes a
relationship believable but hopefully it will be better in the next book.

I really like Seraphina as she is a really likable
character who acts in an understandable and relatable way. I also like the
relationship between her, Lucian Kiggs and princess Glisselda and how it
developed throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this book
to people who like reading YA fantasy book about dragons.

Cassie has always felt that she is the same as everyone
else on the SS Hope until she talks to her class mate Balik and she feels that
he is the only one who understands her, meanwhile teenagers are eloping without
saying goodbye to their friends and while investigating this Cassie finds that
she has a unique ability that could change her life forever.

Hope’s daughter is a really good YA dystopia and while at
first is seems not very original, it is actually fascinating and really creepy
at the same time. This book has a really good pace although a bit too fast at
the end and has a good mix of romance, action and suspense.

I really like Cassie as she is nice and relatable and
acts realistically when things in this book happen. Balik is a really good
character who is a bit mysterious at the beginning and as we go through the
book we see he is really brave and caring.

The one thing I feel
that is missing in this book is that I could not connect to the secondary but I
feel that Cusick-Jones will improve on this in her next book. I would recommend
Hope’s Daughter to people who like Young Adult dystopian books.